The Outstretched Shadow (Obsidian Triology - Book 1) - Softcover

"Lackey has two great strengths as a writer: her ability to tell an exciting story and to create sympathetic characters who inspire effortless identification. Lackey is one of the best storytellers in the field." --Locus

"Lackey shows a sure touch with the wonder and adventure that characterize the best fantasy writers." --Romantic Times

"An accomplished retelling of the beginning of the Arthurian legend. A good choice for large fantasy collections." --Library Journal on Mallory's Merlin: The Old Magic

Mercedes Lackey is the author of the bestselling Valdemar series, the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, and, also with James Mallory, the Obsidian Trilogy (The Outstretched Shadow, To Light a Candle, and When Darkness Falls) and the Enduring Flame Trilogy (The Phoenix Unchained, The Phoenix Endangered, and The Phoenix Transformed). She has written many other books, including Trio of Sorcery, Phoenix and Ashes, Sacred Ground, The Firebird, The Fairy Godmother, and Alta. Lackey is the co-author, with Andre Norton, of the Halfblood Chronicles, including Elvenborn. Mercedes Lackey was born in Chicago and graduated from Purdue University. She has worked as an artist's model, a computer programmer, and for American Airlines, and has written lyrics and recorded more than fifty songs. She lives in Oklahoma.

James Mallory is author of the three-part novelization of the Hallmark Merlin miniseries: The Old Magic, The King's Wizard, and The End of Magic. He was born in San Francisco and attended schools in California and the Midwest, before moving to New York to pursue a career in writing. From an early age, he has been fascinated with the Arthurian legends, an avocation which triggered a lifelong interest in fantasy literature. He lives in California.